Appearance
Subscribe prompts
Before a visitor can receive push notifications, their browser has to ask them for permission. You decide how they're asked — straight away with the browser's own prompt, or with a friendlier message of yours first — and when it happens.
All of these settings are in Placements → Edit → Subscribe prompt.
Prompt styles
| Style | What the visitor sees |
|---|---|
| Soft-ask (recommended) | Your own short message with Allow and decline buttons. Only if they click Allow does the browser's permission prompt appear. |
| Soft-ask + bell widget | The soft-ask, plus a small bell that stays on the page so visitors can subscribe later. |
| Bell widget only | Just the bell — no message appears on its own; visitors click the bell when they're interested. |
| Native prompt | The browser's permission prompt immediately, with no message first. |
The dashboard's help text also refers to these by short codes: ge (soft-ask), ge_ui (soft-ask + bell widget), ui (bell widget only) and nat (native prompt).
Why soft-ask is recommended: once a visitor blocks the browser's own prompt, you can't ask them again. A soft-ask lets people who aren't interested say "no thanks" to your message instead, so the browser prompt is saved for people who want to subscribe.
When to ask
Choose when the prompt appears:
- Instant (on page load)
- After 2 pageviews or After 5 pageviews
- After 10 seconds in session or After 30 seconds in session
- Custom… — enter your own, for example
pageviews:3(after 3 pages) orsession:45sec(after 45 seconds)
Waiting a little usually works better: visitors who have seen some of your content are more likely to say yes.
If a visitor says no
When a visitor dismisses the soft-ask, dlserve waits the number of minutes you set before asking them again, so they aren't asked on every page. This is remembered in the visitor's browser.
Make it look like your site
The soft-ask's text and colors can be customized. The Match my site action on your placement's row can style the soft-ask to fit your site for you.
Good to know
- Browsers without web push (such as Safari on iPhone and iPad) never see a prompt. You can still show them in-page notifications.
- Visitors who already allowed or blocked notifications aren't asked again.
- Changes reach your site within a few minutes.
- While the browser's own prompt is open, prompt guidance can show visitors where to click.